_edited_edited.jpg)
Have you ever considered how your daily choices might impact the natural world around you? While many of us are familiar with carbon footprints, there's another crucial measure to consider is biodiversity footprints. I was surprised to learn that some of our favourite foods—like idli and rajma—rank among the top 25 in terms of their impact on biodiversity. This means that even simple human activities can significantly affect the variety of life on Earth. Curious to know how? Read on to discover what biodiversity footprints are and how our lifestyles contribute to this lesser-known but vital environmental issue.
What is the biodiversity footprint?
Often, we tend to neglect the planet's biodiversity and the human-made impacts on it. Maintaining biodiversity is essential for various ecosystem functions, such as pollination and nutrient cycling. Biodiversity loss can significantly challenge both the environment and socio-economic development.
To help protect our flora and fauna, scientists have developed a measure called the “biodiversity footprint.” This parameter assesses the impact of a company, organisation, product, or consumer on nature. It provides a comprehensive evaluation of human effects on ecosystems, helping to identify species extinction risks and other ecosystem disruptions.
What all things are to be considered for biodiversity footprints?
In December 2023, the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra, Jyväskylä University, and Nokia collaborated and developed a method to calculate biodiversity footprints. In this method, the researchers have stated that to calculate the biodiversity footprints, we should consider 5 parameters of biodiversity loss. These 5 parameters are based on human activities. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) developed these five factors responsible for biodiversity loss.
These five parameters are as follows:
Changes in Land Use: Land-use changes have significant impacts on ecosystems, causing fragmentation, degradation, and loss. These changes occur when natural landscapes are altered for human purposes.
For example, forests may be cleared to create agricultural land, disrupting the habitats of countless species and diminishing biodiversity. Similarly, wetlands might be drained to accommodate infrastructure projects, leading to the loss of crucial water filtration and flood control functions that these ecosystems provide. Such alterations not only harm the local flora and fauna but also contribute to broader environmental issues, such as climate change and soil erosion.
Greenhouse gas emissions: Greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, contribute to climate warming by trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere This temperature rise has far-reaching effects on the functioning of ecosystems. For instance, warmer temperatures can shift the distribution of plant and animal species, forcing them to migrate to cooler areas, which can disrupt existing ecological balances.
Additionally, climate warming can alter precipitation patterns, leading to droughts in some regions and increased rainfall in others, further impacting the growth and survival of various species. Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to temperature changes, may experience bleaching and die off, leading to a loss of marine biodiversity. These changes in ecosystems can also affect human communities that rely on them for resources such as food, water, and raw materials.
Pollutants: Other key emissions also harm ecosystems. For instance, nitrogen and phosphorus emissions from agricultural runoff and industrial processes cause water eutrophication, leading to excessive algae growth and oxygen depletion, which creates dead zones in aquatic environments. Additionally, waste products such as industrial waste, pesticides, heavy metals, and plastics pollute the soil. This contamination harms plant and animal life, disrupts food chains, and degrades soil quality, reducing its capacity to support vegetation and agriculture.
Exploitation of natural resources: The exploitation of natural resources leads to the depletion of both living and non-living resources. For example, overfishing depletes fish populations, disrupting marine ecosystems and threatening the livelihoods of communities that depend on fishing. Similarly, the over-extraction of water for agriculture, industry, and domestic use reduces water supplies, affecting both human populations and natural habitats. This unsustainable use of resources not only diminishes their availability for future generations but also disrupts ecological balances, leading to the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services that are vital for maintaining environmental health and supporting human life.
Invasive species: The spread of invasive species disrupts ecosystems by outcompeting native species, altering food webs, and changing habitats. In the Western Ghats of India, Lantana camara, an invasive plant, aggressively forms dense thickets, outcompeting native plants for sunlight and nutrients. This leads to a decline in indigenous species, affects herbivores and their predators, and disrupts the entire food web. It also alters soil chemistry and hinders animal movement, impacting species like the endangered lion-tailed macaque. This invasion threatens biodiversity and affects local communities relying on native plants for traditional uses.
Data are collected from an organisation to calculate its biodiversity footprint. This data includes the location of the company and the services it provides, among other details. The impact of the organisation's activities on biodiversity is then assessed based on specified parameters. Once identified, these impacts are quantified using environmental pressures, which are subsequently converted into biodiversity impacts.
Where are the biodiversity footprints used?
So, a biodiversity footprint measures an organisation's impact on ecosystems and species, helping identify ways to reduce negative effects. It is used in:
Sustainability Reporting: Companies report their environmental impact and improve practices.
Impact Assessments: Evaluating project effects on biodiversity.
Supply Chain Management: Ensuring sustainable sourcing and production.
Policy Making: Informing conservation strategies for governments and NGOs.
Corporate Responsibility: Enhancing reputation and meeting stakeholder expectations for environmental stewardship.
Biodiversity footprints are crucial tools for understanding and mitigating the impact of human activities on our planet's biodiversity. By measuring and assessing these impacts, organisations can take informed steps towards sustainability and conservation. From evaluating project impacts to enhancing corporate responsibility, biodiversity footprints play a vital role in shaping a more environmentally conscious future. We must continue to integrate these metrics into decision-making processes to safeguard biodiversity for future generations.
Very informative